Cinnabar (twin) on Dolomite (ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection)

Item Description

A fairly sharp, well-formed, intense red (when backlit), "drillbit"-twinned crystal of Cinnabar flaring aesthetically out of sharp, lustrous, cream-colored rhombic Dolomite matrix. The Cinnabar crystal measures 1.5 cm long. A showy miniature specimen and the color is fantastic when backlit. This is an older specimen dating back about 15 years, and no damage that I can see with the naked eye. Interestingly, this mine accounts for 50% of all the mercury deposits in China! Priced at $400. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/labels.asp?colid=671&page=1 ) or on Wikipedia.